Today’s Des Moines Register features a powerful op-ed from Iowa soybean farmer and former congressional candidate Kyle Larsen, laying out a blunt reality facing rural America: farmers are being forced to depend on unstable foreign markets, especially China, because Washington has failed to lock in strong domestic demand.
Larsen explains that soybean prices are now below the cost of production, with Iowa farm income projected to fall by 24 percent in 2026. Trade tensions with China have turned soybeans into leverage in economic disputes, leaving farmers exposed and rural economies vulnerable.
His argument is straightforward and hard to refute. The solution is not more bailouts. It’s stronger domestic markets. Expanding biofuels like renewable diesel and biodiesel creates steady, predictable demand for American crops, supports rural jobs, and strengthens U.S. energy security.
Larsen calls on the EPA to finalize President Trump’s proposed Renewable Fuel Standard updates, which prioritize fuels made from American feedstocks and reduce reliance on imported oils. Doing so would anchor demand at home, protect farmers from foreign market manipulation, and reinforce America’s energy independence.
Farmers don’t want to depend on China to stay in business. They want to grow crops for American markets, processed by American workers, to power American energy.
We agree.
Read Kyle Larsen’s full op-ed in the Des Moines Register and join us in urging the EPA to finalize these renewable fuel rules now.
